TOITŪ TE KUPU

THIS WEE K, TE HĀ M UA

N I KOR A SH A RES A WORD FOR ALL THE BROTHERS AND SISTERS.

KŌPŪTAHI = ONE WOMB

Siblings are an important part of anybody’s life.

Siblings are the ones we share kai with, share clothes with, share talents and skills with, and at one stage we shared a womb.

That’s literally how we came to be their sibling!

KŌPŪ = WOMB TAHI = ONE

The older sibling of the same gender is called “tuakana”.

The younger sibling of the same gender is called “teina”.

The brother of a female is called “tungāne” and the sister of a male is called “tuahine”.

But the collective term for all of those people, ones who all came from the same womb, is literally that, “kōpūtahi”… ONE WOMB!

So next time your younger brother does something dumb and you’re about to tell him so, just remember, you both come from the same kōpū, so don’t be too harsh!